Monday, October 18, 2010

Time for an update

I suppose it's time for an update again. We definitely get caught up in the daily routine of life around here. Nothing super exciting to blog about, other than the babies getting bigger. I recently got together with a friend of mine from San Jose, who mainly keeps up with us through our blog, ask me how things are really going because I always sound so upbeat in our blog. When I started this blog I decided to make it mainly a photo and general info blog, not a journal with my deepest thoughts. It is a place for family and friends to keep up with us on a general level, but if you really want the details it's best to ask. I'm mainly including pictures of our happy times. Just because I don't want to get into the nitty gritty on this blog. Don't worry I could definitely post about the meltdowns in the evening , the hungry screaming babies who have to wait for me to help their big sister, the big sister who, right now, LOVES to empty the wipes and Kleenex containers, the big brother, little sister fights, the timeouts, the neverending feedings....you get the picture. Real life is definitely happening around here....I'm just choosing to focus on the positive, hoping that will help me get through the day when I only get 2 hours to myself before I crash in bed at night. So with that, let me show you our happy growing family:)

Snuggling during nap time. It is going to be really hard for me to separate them into their own cribs. Won't they miss each other?

Ethan is learning more and more everyday. He is such an inquisitive kid and learning comes so easily. He loves going to school and I think would do great with 5 days a week. His attitude on the nonschool days sure makes me wish it was 5 days! Here he arranged all our magnet letters in alphabetical order. He was pretty proud.

Morgan and Cousin Annika pretending to sleep in  Morgan's bed. They are getting along better and better and can now play together for quite a while. Morgan is talking more and more. She is putting 2 and 3 words together to form sentences and she repeats everything she hears. One of my favorite phrases of hers right now is when it gets dark at night she calls it "dark time." She keeps us on our toes!

The four after baths and all ready for bed.

7 weeks old. The twins can now spend about 15-30 minutes just laying on their backs checking things out. They are starting to mellow out a little more and seem to be even more content to just be. I can't wait until they are entertained by their big brother and sister.


We usually take a walk after dinner, just to get the wiggles out before bath time and to get some fresh air. Sometimes that is the only fresh air I get. The babies aren't too fond of their carseats, especially Hudson, so we've started to just carry them in the baby Bjorn's. Ethan and Morgan like to imitate all things baby so they were carrying their babies around like this after their baths. After bath time they usually play really well together. It is fun to watch them imagine together.

Smiling Hudson-While this little guy is more cranky and touchy than his sister, he is also much more generous with the smiles. He LOVES to have us talk to him and almost always rewards us with a smile.

Miss Brooklyn seems to be a little more serious, but she is almost as mellow as her big sister Morgan was. She is pretty quick to drift off to sleep in her bouncy seat or her crib. Does that mean she'll be just as much trouble as Mo is too????

Saturday, October 2, 2010

6 weeks

 It is hard to believe that Hudson and Brooklyn are 6 weeks already. In some ways it feels like they've always been a part of our family, and in some ways it seems like they were just born. They continue to be pretty mellow babies. We have a melt down each evening between 6 and 8, but I remember that happening with the other two as well and it usually gets better after 6 weeks, so I'm hoping the same is true of these two. Life is busy and crazy. I don't know when I'll be able to manage a whole day with all four kids and no help from others. My mom has been a HUGE help, coming over each morning before she goes to work so I can take a shower and get ready in peace. She usually makes the kids breakfast and brings Ethan to school, or watches the younger 3 so I can bring him to school. I also have someone watching the babies on Tuesday mornings so that I can take the older two to bible study with me. It is so great to get out of the house, fellowship with other women and spend a little bit of extra time with Ethan and Morgan. It is such  a blessing to have people around to help. Here are a few snapshots of our life right now.
Ethan and Morgan dressed up as Daddy and Mommy. Ethan's imagination and ability to create imaginative situations has improved since he started school. It is fun to watch him and Morgan play nicely together, in between all the fighting that goes on most of the time.
Mr. Hudson thinks he's big stuff holding up his head.

 Just chillin' on the floor. While I don't think these smiles are intentional we have gotten smiles out of both babies in the last week. Brooklyn hasn't smiled for me, but she has for Kevin. Hudson is pretty generous with his little grins.
 I finally brought the babies to meet my Grandma Bulthuis. Unfortunately she is pretty confused lately. She was unsure of whose babies they were, but she was sure happy to hold them and watch the big kids run around. Kids bring an instant smile to her face.

Brooklyn-6 weeks


Hudson-6 weeks

Nothing cuter than little baby bums.They are getting bigger. I'm not sure how much longer we'll have them share a crib. They are getting so long!